Knitting-machine.



L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, I9I2.

Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

l A WITNESSES JG 8 \UIEOUIS N. OWN $13: %a,w fl# BY I-Ils ATTORNEY da amm W MM nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn t.

L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I2, 1912.

LIM QWI I Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES Z6 INVENTOR I LOUIS D. LIAI IS I HIS TORNEY LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 SCOTT. & WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 12, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS N. D. VVILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ogontz, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of knitting machine in which two sets of needles are employed, the needles of one set alternating with those of the other set and being reciprocated in a plane transverse to the plane of reciprocation of the latter needles. A common type of such machine is the ordinary circular rib knitting machine in which one set of needles is reciprocated in a vertical cylinder and the other set in a horizontal needle carrier or dial.

The object of my invention is to so construct such a knitting machine as to overcome certain objections to which the machines as now constructed are subject. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a knitting machine of the type shown in Letters Patent No. 834,763, granted to Robert W. Scott on the thirty-first day of October, 1906.

Figure l of the drawing representing a vertical sectional view of sufficient of the parts of such a knitting machine as is necessary to properly illustrate my invention; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 being views similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the needles in different relations to one another; Fig. 5 being an inverted view on a reduced scale of the cam plate which actuates the dial needles; Fig. 6 being an enlarged view of part of one of the dial needles employed in the machine; Figs. 7 8, 9 and 10 being enlarged views of parts of a rib knitting machine constructed in accordance with my invention for drawing primary stitches on both sets of needles; Fig. 11 being a wow of one set of the cams employed for the actuation of the dial needles of such machine; Fig. 12 being a view of one set of cams for operating the cylinder needles, and Fig. 13

being a View illustrating a modification of the means for knocking over the stitch upon the dial needles of the machine.

In Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawing, 1 represents part of the needle cylinder and 2 part of the dial,- the needle cylinder being externally Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2?, 1915.

Serial No. 703,291.

grooved for the guidance of the cylinder needles m which are reciprocated therein so as to advance to receive the knitting yarn from the guide to and then descend so as to draw said yarn into stitches and the dial being likewise grooved in its outer portion for the guidance of the reciprocating dial needles 03 which are secured to or form part of shanks 3 pivotally mounted between rings 4: and 5 located above the dial, the upper ends of said needle shanks being acted upon by cams in a cam ring 6 so as to impart the desired reciprocating movements to the needles m at the proper times. The machine may also be provided with reciprocating web holders 7 mounted in a web holder ring 8 and actuated by cams in a ring 9.

In Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawing, I have illustrated the cooperating of the various parts in the production of a hem upon a knitted web in the manner described in Letters Patent No. 864,433, granted to Robert W. Scott on the 27th day of August, 1907, but my invention is not limited to such use of the machine but may be employed in connection with ordinary rib knitting machines, if desired, and particularly with a rib knitting machine in which both sets of needles operate with a primary knitting action.

In an ordinary rib knitting machine the dial needles are projected so that their hooks are in advance of the stems of the cylinder needles, such action being necessary in order to insure the engagement of the yarn by the hooks when the dial needles are retracted.

The bights of yarn extending from cylinder needle to cylinder needle therefore lie upon that portion of the dial needle which is slotted for the reception and play of the latch, and, as, in the operation of the machine, there is always more or less sidewise movement of the yarn over the dial needle. the very thin walls of the slotted shank of the dial needle have a tendency to abrarle the yarn, and in machines of fine gage and in which fine yarns are employed the yarns are frequently broken from this cause.

One of the objects of my invention is to overcome this objection, and in order a to attain this object I provide the dial needles with much longer hooks than usual, these hooks projecting so far beyondthe spoon of the latch when the latter is closed uphil the hook as to provide 'a support for the yarn lying betweea adjoining cylinder net- Mid dles, and the spoon of the latch projecting so far above the top of the hook as to be caught and turned back by the yarn thereon when the needle is projected. The dial needles are projected far enough in the first instance to bring the projecting portions of their hooks into the path of the yarn, passing from one cylinder needle to the next, as

shown in Fig. 2, the smooth surface of the upper portion of the hook having no tendency to abrade the yarn or cause the breaking of the same.

When-the dial needles arefurther projected, the loop of yarn lying upon the top of the hook acts upon the projecting spoon of the latch so as to open the same, as shown in Fig. 3, and the dial needles are then retracted so as to slip the loops into their hooks, as shown in Fig. 4c, the use of any special latch opener in connection with the dial needles being thereby rendered unnecessary, asbefore stated.

In Fig. 5, 10 represents the portion of the carnwhich projects the needles 00 to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 11 rep resents that portion of the cam which projects the needles to the position shown in Fig. 3, and 12 that portion of the cam which retracts the needles to the position shown in Fig. 4:, '13 representing the camwhich is movable into position to act upon the shanks of the dial needles to project them to the point at which the stitch on the needle clears the latch, and 14 representing the cam which retracts the needles so as to cause them to cast'their stitches.

In a machine of the type shown in Letters Patent No. 864,433, the original loop formed are afterward retracted so as to cast their loops'and draw their stitches, it being impracticable in an ordinary rib knitting machine of relatively fine gage to draw primary stitches upon the dial needles because 7 of the extent of movement of the needle revancing movement then causing the loop of new yarn to engage the projecting spoon of the latch, lift the same, and drop into the hook, and a short retracting movement then causing the stitch to be knocked over the latch and the loop to be drawn by the book so as to form a stitch, this limited final movement being so quickly effected that the dial needles as well as the cylinder needles can draw primary stitches. These operations are represented in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawing, Fig. 7 representing the dial needle when in its fully projected position with the old stitch back of the latch, Fig. 8 showing the dial needle in its partly retracted position with the old stitch lying upon the top of the latch and the loop of new yarn laid on the top of the needle hook, Fig. 9 representing the further slight pr0 jection of the dial needle necessary to cause the new loop to raise the latch and drop into the hook, and Fig. 10 showing the old stitch knocked over and the new stitch drawn by the dial needle.

In some cases I may facilitate the knocking over of the old stitch by the use of an independently actuated jack or quill 20 lying behind the dial needle as shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 11 shows a dial cap cam formation for imparting the successive move ments to the dial needle, the cam 15 effecting the full projecting of the dial. needle to the 9 position shown in Fig. 7, the cam 16 effecting the partial retraction of the dial needle to the position shown in Fig. 8, and the cam 17 effecting the slight projection of the dial needle to the position shown in Fig. 9, and the cam 18 effecting the full retraction of the dial needle to the position shown in Fig. 10.

In Fig. 12, 21 represents the projecting cam of the cylinder needles, 22 the retracting cam therefor, and 23 the cam for slightly raising the cylinder needles after they have completed their draft.

My invention is of especial advantage in conducting any knitting operations in which the knitted web is cast off of the needles at intervals and fresh knitting is begun upon the naked needles, as the new loops applied to the tops of the needle hooks in such cases act, on the projection of the needles, to open the latches which have been left in a closed position by the knocking over of the stitches of the last course of the preceding web.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to the dial needles of the machine but it may as well be used in connection with the cylinder needles and may also be used in connection with a straight machine as well as with a circular machine.

I claim:

1. The combination, in a knitting ma chine, of two sets of needles so disposed that one set reciprocates in a plane at an angle to the plane of reciprocation of the other set, the needles of one set having hooks projected so far beyond the latches as to provide a yarn support, means for advancing needles of said set so that their hooks will project sufficiently beyond the needles of the other set as to receive upon them yarn laid in front of the latter needles, means for then retracting the needles having elongated hooks so as to cause the latches of said needles to close upon the hooks and the stitches to ride up on said latches, and means for then advancing said needles so as to cause the yarn upon their hooks to open the latches and slip into the hooks.

2. The combination, in a knitting machine, of two sets of needles so disposed that one set reciprocates in a plane at an angle to the plane of reciprocation of the other set, the needles of one set having hooks projected so far beyond the latches as to provide a yarn support, means for advancing needles of said set so that their hooks will project sufficiently beyond the needles of the other set as to receive upon them a yarn laid in front of the latter needles, means for then retracting the needles having elongated hooks so as to cause the latches of said needles to close upon the hooks and the stitches to ride up on said latches, means for then advancing said needles so as to cause the yarn upon their hooks to open the latches and slip into the hooks, and means for then fully retracting said long hook needles so as to knock over the stitches upon them and draw loops of the new yarn.

3. The combination, in a knitting machine, of two sets of needles so disposed that one set reciprocates in a plane at an angle to the plane of reciprocation of the other set, the needles of one set having elongated hooks adapted for the reception and support of the knitting yarn in its passage from needle to needle of the other set, means for projecting said elongated hook needles by a two-stage movement, and means for laying the yarn on the tops of the hooks during the first stage of such movement whereby, during the second stage, said yarn will be slipped back over the points of the hooks.

4C. The combination, in a knitting machine, of two sets of needles, the needles of the second set having latches and elongated hooks, and means for actuating said needles, whereby the yarn is laid upon the tops of the said hooks while the latches are in the closed position with the old stitches upon them, whereby in knocking over the stitches upon said second set of needles the new loops will open the latches and pass into the hooks, whereby primary stitches can be drawn upon both sets of needles.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

